GREAT START: Iowa Wild Builds Fan Base

Two games are in the books for the Iowa Wild and management says so far, so good.

More than 10,000 people attended the home opener Saturday, the largest crowd to attend an AHL game so far this season.

The Wild took the ice again Sunday afternoon, expecting a crowd of about 4,000 people.

That’s closer to where management expects attendance will be for weekday and Sunday games.

The team hopes to attract fans with promotions like $2 dollar beer nights, jersey auctions, and tickets available for less than $10 dollars.

In year one, it’s all about connecting with fans in Des Moines.

“We’ve said that this is a process along. It’s going to take us time to build our fan base. We’ll keep winning them over one at a time and if we can see that growth over a period of years, that’s what will make us successful,” said Todd Frederickson, the President of the Iowa Wild.

The average attendance for AHL teams was about 5,700 fans per game last season.